Shūsuke Fuji
Shūsuke Fuji (不二 周助, Fuji Shūsuke) is one of the Prince of Tennis characters. His name is romanized as Syusuke Fuji in the Japanese anime, and Shūsuke Fuji in all the English versions. Background Shūsuke Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy. He is given the title "tensai", or genius, due to his tactical skill on the tennis court. He is in the same class as Eiji Kikumaru, and is Eiji's good friend. Fuji is a leap year baby (February 29), and thus he can only properly celebrate his birthday once every four years. Fuji is cheerful and easygoing, though sometimes called sadistic because of his tendency to playfully tease those around him. He is the middle child of the Fuji family. His unnamed father is a foreign-based employee, and is never seen in the series. His mother, 49-year-old Yoshiko, who also has perpetually-closed eyes, is seen in the manga as a kind and dedicated Japanese housewife. His younger brother, Yūta, is a tennis player at St.Rudolph. Fuji's older sister, 24-year-old Yumiko, is considered very attractive and is popular among both Fuji and Yūta's friends. He grew up in Chiba, where he became friends with Kojirō Saeki, the current vice-captain of Rokkaku Middle School Tennis Club. Later on, he moved to Tokyo and entered Seigaku. Fuji usually takes the position of S2 (Singles 2), although sometimes he is paired with Kawamura Takashi or Kikumaru Eiji in Doubles (with Kikumaru, they are called the "Dream Pair"). Also, he and Echizen Ryoma temporarily take turns for the position of S1 (Singles 1) when captain Tezuka Kunimitsu is in rehabilitation. Personality Fuji is often seen with a calm and content expression on his face, with his eyes seemingly closed from lightly smiling. However, when he is excited or provoked, or when playing seriously, Fuji reveals his sharp eyes: blue in the anime and light brown in the manga. No one truly knows his limit, even himself. Many believe that his limitless abilities can surpass each and every player in Prince of Tennis. Fuji generally seems very relaxed and in control, whilst his opponent is pushing himself to the limit, giving many the impression that Fuji is either a genius, who knows how to save his energy during plays, or that he does not really care about tennis itself. There are a few people that can "wake" the true player in Fuji and force him to play seriously, and these few are either nationally-ranked or extremely talented tennis players. Seigaku teammates Kunimitsu Tezuka and Ryoma Echizen, Shitenhōji captain Kuranosuke Shiraishi , and Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku regular Masaharu Niō have been acknowledged by Fuji to be actual challenges. Fuji is particularly protective of his younger brother Yūta (probably to make up for former disagreements that almost brought them apart), as displayed throughout the series; he actively tries to "destroy" and punish those who have defeated his younger brother or have made him go through something dangerous (as proved by how differently he treats Jirō Akutagawa from Hyōtei and Hajime Mizuki from St. Rudolph. Though he holds no personal grudge towards Jirō, who won fairly against Yūta, he does resent Mizuki for a long time after seeing how he treated his brother as someone expendable to ensure his team's victory). Yūta is also not the only person he has been protective of in this sense; in the anime, he is very upset when Kippei Tachibana is injured in his match against Rikkai Dai regular Akaya Kirihara (in the manga, Ryoma is the one who is injured). He is also upset when Akaya Kirihara insults the two schools, Seigaku and Fudomine. When Seigaku is down 1-2 in the Kantō finals against Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, he engages in a serious match with Akaya Kirihara, who plays a fairly violent form of tennis. Kirihara injures Fuji's knee and knocks over an already injured Tachibana, who arrives to encourage Fuji; thanks to this and the fact that Tezuka is also absent due to injury, Fuji becomes serious and goes on to win the match. According to what Fuji's sister, Yumiko, tells Hajime Mizuki and Yūta, Fuji never gets angry about what happens to him, but when his family or friends are in danger, he does not hold back and attacks with full seriousness. However, during the National Tournament he does not react in the same way when coach Ryūzaki is attacked during his doubles match with Kawamura Takashi against Higa Chū. Although Fuji does reveal his Fourth Counter in this match, never is his anger awakened like it was with Kirihara, making Fuji use more dangerous moves like the Knuckle Serve. At times, Fuji tends to behave eccentrically. In episode 70, there is a mixed club day at his school, where the students are not allowed to play the sport that they are in. During this day, Fuji plays curling, which no one else plays, thus his words are, "Participants: zero, the championship is mine." Prior to the National Tournament, Fuji plays a practice match against Fudomine's Tachibana, who breaks each of Fuji's Triple Counter. Realizing that his counters are not enough for a national-level tournament, Fuji develops his fourth counter, Kagerō Zutsumi (Dragonfly Illusion). However, during Seigaku's National semifinal match against Shitenhōji's Kuranosuke Shiraishi, Fuji suffers his first loss in an official match, despite making a comeback from 0 games to 5 by using his evolved Triple Counter, he loses 6 games to 7 during a tiebreak. This is the first time that any of his teammates see Fuji so disappointed in the outcome of the match. Fuji also seems to be one of few Seigaku Regulars (along with Shūichiro Oishi) who is genuinely close to Kunimitsu Tezuka, the captain of the tennis club. As such, he and Tezuka are often seen together. Fuji is fairly popular amongst his peers. In episode 134, he goes on a "date" with Kurumi (he had no choice; Momoshiro and Eiji made the decision for him), a grade schooler who falls in love with him at first sight, thinking of him as a prince of sorts. Despite his penchant for jokes and pranks off-tennis, Fuji can be insightful and even sweet when his friends need it; during his so-called date with little Kurumi, when she reveals that she has low self-esteem since she feels overshadowed by her older twin sister Narumi, Fuji helps her to sort their problems out, seeing his own situation with Yūta reflected in the sister's quarrels. Along with Tezuka (though Tezuka's hand was shaking after mistakenly drank it), Fuji is possibly the only person on the entire Seigaku team who is immune to Sadaharu Inui's various concoctions. However, while Tezuka only appears unaffected and does not state what he thought of the concoctions, it has been a running gag in the story that Fuji actually "likes" those drinks and will recommend it to others too. While he may intentionally fault during practice occasionally in order to try the penal concoctions, he has also mentioned that he enjoys seeing others suffer from drinking the concoctions even more. He is, however, not immune to "Aozu", a horrific blue vinegar and cod liver oil concoction; this drink causes his only blackout, and since then, Inui has believed that Fuji has a grudge against him. (Shown in the extra episode when the Seigaku Tennis Club goes for billards.) His odd tastes in food do not stop at Inui's gruesome health drinks, and he takes delight in wasabi rolls, honey-mustard, and horse radishes. However, later on, Fuji seems to work harder to not end up drinking the oddly colored liquids. History Two years Prior To The Storyline Two years prior to the start of the series, Fuji along with Tezuka Kunimitsu and Inui Sadaharu stood out amongst the other members of the school. As it stated before in the anime that Seigaku were a Prefectural level school during that time. In an OVA the three of them are seen defeating their senpais with relative ease, and it is mentioned by Kawamura how amazing they were along with Oishi never losing in Doubles and Kikumaru's acrobatic ability. Current Year Fuji is first introduced in the series along with all of the other Seigaku regulars and is shown easily winning in his Intra-School ranking matches and is seen with the other regulars impressed with Echizen Ryoma as he pulls of huge upset defeats upon his arrival in beating Kaido Kaoru and Inui Sadaharu. Districts Prefecturals Regionals Nationals Fuji and the rest of the Seigaku team arrive at the Nationals and witness the straight set demolition of Rokkaku by Higa, who are set to be their first opponents of the tournament. He plays in Doubles 2 with Kawamura against Chinen Hiroshi/Hirakoba Rin pair. Playing Style and Techniques Fuji is a counterpuncher, playing a steady game and attacking at the right time. Most of his techniques are designed to specifically counter an opponent's strength, which gives him the title of a genius. ;"Closed Eyes" (心の瞳) :This is not exactly a technique but it's a state that sharpens Fuji's abilities greatly. In the manga, Fuji used it first at Kantō Finals during his match with Kirihara after he blinded him with a smash. But it's at the National Finals in his match against Masaharu Niō when Fuji refines his "closed eyes" mode, even being able to aim for a cord ball and break all of Tezuka's techniques, including Hyaku Ren Jitoku and Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami. : :Serve And Volley :After facing Jirou in the Hyotie arc, Fuji sometimes during matches might change his play stlye to serve and volley. Though he is not nearly as good as a regular serve and volley player he still can do it. Counters Sometimes called the "Three Counter Moves" (or more often called the Triple Counter). Game sealing returns, the counters are techniques that could only be pulled off by a genius like Shūsuke Fuji. Each counter has a very low chance of being returned. Later on in the series, during the Nationals, Fuji upgrades his Triple Counter and reveals more counters: Kagerō Zutsumi, Hecatoncheires no Monban and Hoshi Hanabi. Although Fuji develops six counters, his set of counters is still called "Triple Counter". Fuji's first four counters are based on animals: Tsubame Gaeshi: Swallow; Higuma Otoshi: Brown Bear; Hakugei: Whale; Kagerō Zutsumi: Dragonfly. When Fuji "evolves" his Triple Counters, which were displayed when he played against the captain of Shitenhouji in the national semifinals, their new names are based on mythical creatures: Houou Gaeshi: Phoenix; Kirin Otoshi: Qilin; Hakuryu: Dragon. ;Tsubame Gaeshi (つばめ返し, Tsubame Gaeshi, trans. "Swallow Return") :The first of Fuji's counters to be shown and the one he is often most associated with, Fuji utilizes his opponent's topspin by returning the ball with an extreme slice that doubles the amount of spin. The slice combines with the topspin and causes the ball to dip toward the ground and continue rolling across the court without a bounce. This counter is legendary in that once it is hit, the game is sealed. However, Tsubame Gaeshi can still be returned if it is hit before it touches the ground, which only a handful of players have succeeded in doing. :Fuji's counters can be sealed when an opponent can hit "sinkers", which are balls without spin. Fuji can still hit an incomplete Tsubame Gaeshi by rolling the ball with his racket, adding some spin to hit a heavy slice, but it is not complete, as the ball does not have enough spin to roll across the court, and will still have a slight bounce. However, Fuji can then utilize the net to force the opponent to hit cord balls (balls that hit the top of the net before going in), which forces the ball to spin, and along with rolling the ball with his racket, he can pull off a perfect Tsubame Gaeshi. :In his match against Tezuka, Fuji uses the Tsubame Gaeshi in a reverse manner, dubbed the Reverse Tsubame Gaeshi (リバースつばめ返し). Instead of adding backspin to an opponent's topspin shot, Fuji adds extreme topspin to a slice/backspin shot. This also causes the ball to simply roll along the ground, like the original Tsubame Gaeshi, making it almost impossible to return. ;Higuma Otoshi (羆落とし, Higuma Otoshi, trans. "Bear Drop") :By quickly rotating his body, Fuji uses centripetal force to absorb the force of any overhead smash; he then returns the ball with a lob that almost always lands on the opponent's baseline. :This counter is first broken by Echizen Ryoma, who hits cord balls to change the trajectory of his smash, therefore altering the position of Fuji's lob and forcing the ball out. Powerful smashes can also overpower the centrifugal force used to nullify the force of a smash. In the first round of the National Tournament, the Shukuchihō technique of Higa Chuu renders the counter useless, as Higa players can move from the baseline to the net and vice versa in "one step". ;Hakugei (白鯨, Hakugei, trans. "White Whale") :Fuji's third counter, Hakugei is a super slice lob with such extreme backspin that as soon as it passes over the net on to the opposite court, it curves upwards out of sight, than it falls straight down (usually on the baseline), and it flies back to Fuji's hand. However, Fuji needs wind to use the Hakugei.It is first shown during Fuji's match against Hyōtei's Akutagawa Jirō. Hakugei can be returned if the opponent is fast enough to hit the ball as it flies back to Fuji's hand. Fuji can also change the direction of the ball after it hits the opponent's court, either to go with the direction of the wind or to lessen the chance of a return. :In the anime, Fuji changes the direction in his match against Tezuka, where Tezuka approaches the net to wait for the technique, but Fuji adapts and the ball instead flies into the net away from Tezuka. :Hakugei is completely broken by Shiraishi Kuranosuke's Perfect Tennis when he changes the direction of how he returns the ball by 90 degrees, hitting it softly in a lateral way. : ; Fourth Counter - Kagerō Zutsumi (蜉蝣包み, Kagerō Zutsumi, lit. Dragonfly Illusion) :Fuji's fourth counter, Kagerō Zutsumi uses both hands as he brings his racket down in an overhead swing that both contains and nullifies all spin on the ball. The ball is then returned devoid of spin, and gives the other player the illusion that the ball is farther than it actually is. :This counter is first revealed in Seigaku's first Doubles match with Kawamura against Higa Chū in the National Tournament. However, Kagerō Zutsumi is apparently useless against Kuranosuke Shiraishi's Perfect Tennis as the returning ball without spin comes to Shiraishi's court very slowly and he simply smashes the ball to win the point. ;Hōō Gaeshi (鳳凰返し, Hōō Gaeshi, lit. Phoenix Return) :The upgraded version of Tsubame Gaeshi, Hōō Gaeshi is one of the 3 upgraded techniques of the Triple Counter that Fuji creates in his match against Kuranosuke Shiraishi in the Nationals. Unlike Tsubame Gaeshi, Hōō Gaeshi sinks at a higher rate and is closer to the net, thus making it much harder to return before it lands. :Hōō Gaeshi is first defeated by Niō Masaharu in Tezuka's form; like the Tsubame Gaeshi, the ball can be returned by hitting the ball before it touches the ground. ;Kirin Otoshi (麒麟落とし, Kirin Otoshi, lit. Kirin/Qilin Drop) :The upgraded version of Higuma Otoshi. The only visible difference from this technique is that Fuji uses two hands to repel Shiraishi's smash rather than the one handed Higuma Otoshi. In the OVA, it reaches the opponent's baseline much faster than Higuma Otoshi. :Kirin Otoshi is first defeated by Niō Masaharu, who uses Tezuka's form to return the ball by using the Tezuka Zone to make the ball enter his side rather than letting it go to his baseline. ;Hakuryū (白'龍', Hakuryū, lit. White Dragon) :The upgraded version of Hakugei. Unlike Hakugei, Hakuryū rises much higher into the sky. Instead of spinning backwards to Fuji, the ball will bounce towards the sides. :Hakuryū is first defeated by Niou Masaharu, who uses Tezuka's form and returns the ball by smashing it before it bounces. ; Fifth Counter - Hecatoncheires no Monban (百腕巨人の門番, Hekatonkeiru no Monban, lit. Gate Keeper of Hecatoncheires) :Fuji's fifth counter (first stated to be his "final" counter), Hecatoncheires no Monban, is actually translated to "The Hundred Armed Giant", but this is a title from Greek Mythology, and thus kept with the name "Gate Keeper of Hecatoncheires". :Using the reverse side of the racket, Fuji uses the slide of the oncoming ball over the gut and forcing a super spin to the ball. Then by instantaneously reversing his wrist and using the other side of the racket, he doubles the spin yet again. The way this counter works is from the extreme underspin Fuji creates, forcing the ball being returned back to him being a topspin, and topspins have a faster sink, making the ball sink before it passes the net. :Shiraishi Kuranosuke manages to overcome the tremendous spin of the ball and breaks this counter by creating a counter-spin on the ball just strong enough for the ball to go beyond the net as a cord ball. ;Sixth Counter - Hoshi Hanabi (星花火, Hoshi Hanabi, lit. Star Fireworks) :Hoshi Hanabi is Fuji's sixth counter. He reveals it during the Singles 2 match against Rikkai Dai's Niō Masaharu in the National Finals. :When the opponent hits a cord ball as a result of returning Hecatoncheires no Monban, Fuji responds by launching the ball straight into the sky, out of anyone's field of vision. Due to a certain wind, the ball will then crash land at a very high speed with an irregular spin and it will bounce to any side. He first used this technique in his match against Shitenhōji's Shiraishi on his last shot but the shot was out. The name of the technique was not yet revealed that time. :According to Sadaharu Inui, Hoshi Hanabi can be performed by Fuji because he can read the wind. Serves ;Disappearing Serve (消えるサーブ) :Otherwise known as a "cut-serve", but because Fuji spins the ball as he drops it, this particular underhand serve makes the ball also disappears. While not as fast or powerful as most serves, many players are caught off guard by the way the ball abruptly "cuts" to the left (the returner's right), and in a sense "disappears". Fuji first uses this move when he faces Jirō Akutagawa from Hyōtei Academy. :The Disappearing Serve is completely broken by Shiraishi's Perfect Tennis during the National Semifinals. ;Knuckle Serve (anime only) (ナックルサーブ) :This move is shown when Fuji is playing Akaya Kirihara from Rikkai Dai in the anime. Due to the fact Fuji is angry, he uses the Knuckle Serve to take revenge. Before the user throws the ball in the air, the user squeezes the ball first to add an extreme and unpredictable spin. Its direction can only be seen by the one who served it. Others ;Upper Body Split Step (anime only) :This move was created out of need at the Kantō Tournament finals during his match with Kirihara who hurt Fuji's knee. The difference in speed allows Fuji to cover the court more effectively. Tennis Record Tournament Matches *'NOTE-1' The match against Midoriyama only took place in the manga, while Jōsei Shōnan's match existed only in the anime. *'NOTE 2' No results due to Seigaku already winning 3 sets *'NOTE-3' In the manga, Fuji won with the score of 7-5, while in the anime, Fuji won with the score of 6-4. U-17 Camp Results Trivia *The kanji for Fuji (不二) stands for 'not second', 'unparalleled', or 'peerless'. His name can also be seen as a bit of a pun when his hobbies and favorite foods are taken into account; Fujifilm is the world's largest photographic and imaging company, and one of Fuji's hobbies is photography. Fuji apples are a type of apple, and they are one of Fuji's favorite foods. *In a chibi episode and in TeniPuri family, Fuji is portrayed as a woman, playing off on his somewhat feminine looks. In the TeniPuri family episodes, he is the sweet yet impulsive Grandmother of the family and is often paired up with Tezuka, who plays the Grandfather. In the other Tenipuri chibi episode, settled in the Far West, he plays a damsel in distress-type girl searching for a Lone Gunman who later turns out to be Tezuka. *In all the Shonen Jump character popularity poll of series, Fuji has remained in the top two. Besides the second character popularity poll, where Fuji came in first place, Fuji has come in second place in every other poll. *In addition, in the Valentine Chocolate specials of the manga, Fuji has constantly been in the top three recipients of chocolate, including receiving the most in 2001, with the exception of the years 2005 and 2006. *Fuji is one of the few male characters in the anime who is voiced by a female voice actor, others being Ryoma Echizen, Kintarō Tōyama of Shitenhōji, Taichi Dan of Yamabuki, Yōhei and Kōhei Tanaka of Jōsei Shonan (the latter two being anime only characters), and Seiichi Yukimura of Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku. However, Ryoma, Kintarō and Taichi are first years, thus younger and more naturally voiced by a female seiyū, but despite Fuji and Yukimura being third years, they are also voiced by female seiyū. *In the Japanese original, both Fuji and his sister Yumiko are voiced by Yuki Kaida. *For the live-action adaptation film of The Prince of Tennis, Tenimyu actor Hiroki Aiba portrays Fuji. *In The Prince of Tennis Musical, Fuji is portrayed by actors Kimeru (2003-2005), Takashi Nagayama (2003-2004), Hiroki Aiba (2005-2007, 2008), Yūta Furukawa (2007-2009), and Hashimoto Taito (2008-present). *His favorite brand of tennis shoes are Nike (NIKE READY AIR BISCAYNE MID III). *His favorite brand of tennis racquet is Prince (Michael Chang Titanium). *His favorite foods are apples, Cajun Cuisine, spicy ramen noodles, and Wasabi-filled sushi. *Fuji's hobbies include collecting/taking care of cactus, photography, and billiards. *His favorite school subject is Classic Literature *His favorite color is beige. *His preferred type of girls are elegant girls with nice manners and pretty fingers. *His blood type is B. *Despite being a third year student he is one of the shortest members in Seigaku with a height of 167 cm (5'4 ft). *His Zodiac sign is Pisces. *Fuji is shown to possess skills on the piano as shown in Another Story 2. *Fuji has a tendency to borrow items that have earned honor. For example, he borrows Taka's racket after Taka played honorably and he borrows Tachibana's grip tape after Tachibana tried hard to beat Rikkai Dai but sprained his ankle instead. Gallery Category: Characters Category:Tennis Player Category:Seigaku Tennis Club Member Category:Middle Schooler Category:3rd Year Middle School Category:Counterpuncher Category:Right-Handed Category:U-17 Camp